While both casting investment and die casting entail the process of pouring molten metal into molds to achieve the manufacturer’s desired dimensions, these methods are not the same. To come up with the right choice for your upcoming project, you’ll need to consider the following:
Selection of Materials
Different casting processes offer different solutions. Investment casting is the better option if you’re planning to use stainless steel or copper alloys. However, if you plan to use non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, zinc, and magnesium, go for die casting.
Annual Volume
What has your desired payback period for the tool cost? Considering the cost of tooling, can you break even with the number of created parts? Casting investment tooling is cheaper and is ideal for lower volume projects. On the other hand, die casting is suitable for high-volume projects and larger production runs.
Tolerance
The shape of the component and the type of material that’s going to be used will largely influence the tolerance capabilities of any casting process.
Cycle Time
Although both processes are able to produce complex components, they differ in the aspect of cycle times. Casting investment requires labor and a few more hours of work while die casting can automatically create 3 to 4 shots per minute (conventional die casting) and upwards of 45 shots per minute (multi-sided casting).
Cost
Up to 60% of the final component cost is determined by the cycle time. This means that casting investment costs more than die casting because of its highly manual processes.
Casting Investment vs. Die Casting
If you need more information about casting investment and die casting, you’ll need to speak with the experts. Ferralloy, Inc. is an international company that provides the metalworking industry with castings, fabrications, forgings, machining, and related products and services. Contact us today if you have additional questions on the types of manufacturing processes necessary for your business.